I can’t think of a time when I have seen so many John D’oh stencils in such rapid succession including several that I have missed in recent weeks. Many have been about the Government’s inept handling of the coronavirus outbreak, this one however is more about the impacts on people.
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2020
Rats have commonly been used by Banksy and many other artists in their work and here a rat is used to illustrate the ‘rat race’ with the words ‘After COVID-19 I am not sure I can join the rat race’. Another nice work recording the impacts of the pandemic on Bristol society.
I am really struggling with the new WordPress editor. Everything takes twice as long as it should, and there is simply too much functionality for a user like me. I just want to write posts on my blog, not design up a personal website. Oh well, I’m sure I will get better at it with practice, which is something that definitely applies to street/graffiti art, and when you see apiece like this from Rusk, you know that it is on the back of a huge amount of hard graft over the years.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
The overall design of the letters and the selection of chrome and green are very nicely done. At the right hand end of the RUSKY letters is a muscle-flexing spray can squirting a neon green jet of life into the piece… a nice character. A fabulous piece from a highly accomplished writer and complete gentleman.
In the last twelve months or so the board at Turbo Island has attracted some fabulous pieces by greatly talented artists and now it is the turn of Tom Miller with his debut piece on this wall. And what an amazing start.
Tom Miller, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2020
Tom Miller has been turning out so many pieces since lock down and I have struggled to keep up with them. Some are for fun like this one, but he has also worked on a couple of commissions which is really good, because an artist’s life is a tough one and paid work can be hard to come by.
Tom Miller, Turbo Island, Bristol, August 2020
There is an abundance of colour and form in this abstract piece and typical of the artist there is a great deal of energy and activity. So much to look at and so much detail, it can be hard for the brain to decipher exactly what is going on, but this is a great strength that Tom Miller has. It is not to everyone’s taste, but I love it.
From time to time I make assumptions on Natural Adventures. Sometimes they are right and at other times they are disastrously wrong, so I am a little nervous about sticking my neck out and suggesting that this piece is by Mutatee.
Mutatee, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2020
My doubt is that I haven’t seen anything painted by Mutatee before, only little resin models, but the blue-faced character is the same as hers. I realise that the character is from some TV show, so it is possible that another artist painted this. All part of the confusing street art landscape. I shall attribute this fun little piece to Mutatee until told otherwise.
My camera (or its operator) goofed with photographing this piece from Laic217 on the M32 cycle path. Most of my pictures were way out of focus, but I managed to retrieve a couple that were ok. This is my explanation of why I have put a close-up in the feature image, something I rarely do.
Laic217, M32 cycle path, Bristol August 2020
Laic217 has always had productive patches, but I can’t recall one quite as busy as this summer. It comes as no surprise that this piece is a skeleton, nor that the fabric of his jacket is superbly painted, Laic217 is really mastering painting clothes and materials. Nice to see a little shout out to Pl8o.
Every year, usually in May I think, there is a special event held at Dean Lane skate park called Dean Lane Hardcore. It is a skating event with live music, where the good, the bad and the ugly of Bristol gather to hang out and have a great time. DLH is also a great time for street artists to show off their talent.
Nevergiveup, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
This piece shows three Nevergiveup rabbits holding up score cards to judge the skaters’ performances. The craziness of these guys reflects well the craziness of the event itself. Beautifully painted and perfectly in context, this little trio is a real winning piece.
It would seem that JPS has been visiting Bristol and his home, Weston-super-Mare recently if his Instagram account is anything to go by. On a wall that has been home to a JPS piece for a long time now, this new, and rather fantastic stencil arrived about week or two ago.
JPS, Frogmore Street, Bristol, August 2020
The piece features two little boys, one of them pulling a knife out on the other, both encircled in a ‘don’t do it’ sign. The slightly taller boy is gently restraining the one with the knife. This is a poignant anti knife crime piece and conveys the message sensitively.
JPS, Frogmore Street, Bristol, August 2020
This is JPS at his absolute best. A strong message conveyed with tenderness and love but not avoiding the hard issue in hand. Using children to depict such foolishness is clever because it helps us to see how stupid violence is and how it looks utterly out of context in these youngsters – shouldn’t it be so for everyone?
Natural adventures 